George  Washington  Flowers 
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'5 


ADDRESS 


DELTYEEEI)  BEFOIM' 


'in- 


CI 


.<j>: 

'r- 


RANDOLPH  COUNTY  BIBLE  SOCIETY 


A  T  riv 


13 


.MAY   1st.  l.so 


EY  PROP.  ROBBINS. 


IF 


Punished  at  t^e^equest  of  the  Society  :  and  ve-puhliRhed  in 
-pamphlet  form  hy  the  sfydenfft  of  Xorm<d  QoUeqe, 


7m 


GREEi^SBUiiUL.Cii 

?  H  I  XT  K  D    A  T    T  II  E    P  A  T  1;  ■ 

1853. 


4 


'I 


ADDRESS 

DELIVERED  BEFORE 

THE 

RANDOLPH  COUNTY  BIBLE  SOCIETY 

AT  ITS 

lIIIflEIMI. 

MAY  1st,  1853. 
BY  PROF.  ROBBirsTS. 


Published  at  the  request  of  the  Society  ;  and  re-published  in 
pamphlet  form  by  the  students  of  Normal  College, 


GREENSBOROUGH: 


PKINTED-AT   THE   PATRIOT  OFFICE. 

1853. 


IHE  ROWERS  CO(i!CItf)N 


COEllESPONDEXCE. 


AsHEBortOUGii,  May  2nd,  18Jo. 
Dear  Sir  :  At  a  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee  of 
tlie  Randolph  County  Bible  Society  this  morning,  it  "was  un- 
animously resolved,  "  that  the  Secretary  write  to  Prof.  Rohhins 
requesting  a  copy  of  his  Address,  delivered  yesterday,  for  puh- 
lication." 

Permit  me  to  add  my  personal  solicitations  to  those  of  the 
Committee.  AYe  hope  you  will  comply  with  our  request,  and 
that  the  publication  of  the  Address  will  aid  in  promoting  the 
good  cause  we  all  have  so  much  at  heart. 

Very  respectfully,  GEO.  McXEILL,  Sec'y. 

PllOF.  ROBBINS. 


Normal  College,  May  10th,  1853. 

Mr.  McNeill  :  Dear  Sir :  Your  communication,  contain- 
taining  the  request  of  the  Ex.  Com.  of  the  R.  C.  Bible  Socie- 
ty, has  been  received.  I  am  obliged  to  the  Committee  for  the 
compliment  thus  paid  me. 

The  dictates  of  prudence  would  perhaps  forbid  my  compli- 
ance with  that  request,  and  induce  me  to  withhold  a  produc- 
tion prepared  with  so  much  haste  and  under  so  many  disad- 
vantages amid  the  pressure  of  other  duties.  But  I  waive  my 
own  opinion  in  deference  to  that  of  the  Committee,  and  for- 
ward with  this  note  a  copy  of  the  Address,  to  be  disposed  of 
as  they  think  best. 

With  considerations  of  personal  respect  and  esteem, 

I  am  yours  etc.,  AV.  MACK.  BOBBINS. 

Rev.  Geo.  McNeill. 


Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2014 

https://archive.org/details/addressdelivered13robb 


Mr.  Preside7if,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen, 

of  the  Randolph  County  Bible  Society  : 

It  affords  me  no  small  degree  of  gratification  to 
reflect  that  in  this  almost  my  first  effort  in  public  speakingy 
good  fortune  has  allotted  me  so  noble  a  subject  as  that  of  the 
Bible  and  the  Bible  Cause.  To  have  been  honored  with  an 
invitation  to  address  you,  on  any  subject  whatever,  would  have 
been  considered  on  my  part  as  a  high  compliment ;  but  to  be 
selected  as  the  advocate  of  this  cause,  I  cannot  but  regard  as 
a  peculiar  favor.  So  much  of  happiness  or  misery  in  the  des- 
tiny of  Man  depends,  in  my  judgment  upon  the  promulgation 
of  the  Word  of  God  fhroughout  the  world,  that  I  rejoice  in  the 
opportunity  of  adding  my  humble  efforts  to  those  that  are  be- 
ing made,  by  our  Bible  Societies,  for  that  purpose.  It  is  true 
that  this  is  a  cause  of  such  magnitude,  that  I  should  have  been 
deterred  from  occupying  the  position  I  do  this  day,  as  its  ad- 
vocate, by  a  fear  lest  the  feebleness  of  my  advocacy  might 
prejudice  rather  than  promote  it,  had  I  not  also  felt  that  the 
intrinsic  merits  of  the  subject  arc  so  palpable  that  whatever 
failure  might  be  made  in  representing  them  in  an  impressive 
light,  the  fault  would  be  attributed  to  the  advocate  and  not  to 
the  cause  itself  To  do  it  justice  I  cannot  hope.  The  highest 
powers  of  human  eloquence  might  find  a  worthy  theme  in  urg- 
ing the  responsibility  that  rests  upon  us,  as  a  civilized  and 
Christian  people,  of  using  every  effort  to  dispense  the  Word 
of  God  to  all  men.  But  I  may  succeed  in  directing  your  at- 
tention, for  a  short  time,  more  closely  to  this  subject ;  and 
should  I,  in  this  manner,  or  more  immediately  by  anything  I 


6 


mtiy  say,  induce  any  one  of  you  to  feel  a  deeper  interest  In  it, 
and  to  take  a  more  decided  stand  in  its  favor,  and,  by  that 
means,  the  Sacred  Pages  shoukl  be  unfolded  to  a  single  son  of 
Adam's  hapless  race,  who  would  not  otherwise  have  seen  them, 
my  reward  will  be  am. pie. 

If  there  is  any  sentiment  in  the  human  heart  more  noble 
than  all  the  rest, — any  one  that  goes  further  than  all  the  rest 
to  assimilate  Man  to  the  Deity,  setting  aside  reverence  and 
love  to  God  himself,  that  sentiment  is  Philanthropy.  There 
is  so  much  that  is  displeasing  and  hateful  to  the  upright  and 
honest  heart,  in  the  principles  and  conduct  of  the  larger  por- 
tion of  the  human  family,  that  nothing  is  more  natural  nor 
more  easy  than  to  imbibe  an  aversion  and  even  a  deep,  dark 
hatred  for  Man  in  general.  So  much  the  more  noble  and  di- 
vine, then,  is  that  feeling  in  the  bosom  of  the  philanthropist, 
that  prompts  him,  in  looking  at  the  gloomy  picture  of  human 
nature,  to  dwell  with  pleasure  in  those  brighter  tints  which 
serve,  in  some  degree  at  least,  to  relieve  the  darker  shades, 
and  moves  him,  while  he  condemns  the  folly  and  wickedness 
of  our  race,  to  drop  a  tear  of  pity,  too,  over  its  misfortunes 
and  its  miseries.  There  is  surely  no  ifher  field  for  the  exer- 
cise of  this  exalted  virtue,  and  no  better  opportunity  for  ren- 
dering it  practically  operative  in  the  amelioration  of  Man's 
condition,  than  is  afforded  by  the  cause  in  which  the  American 
Bible  Society  and  its  auxiliaries  are  engaged.  Save  the  gift 
of  His  only  Son  to  die  for  our  salvation,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
to  apply  that  salvation  to  our  hearts,  Heaven's  best  gift  to  our 
race  is  the  Bible.  As  God  looked  down  upon  the  helpless 
8tate  of  Man,  groping  his  vray  in  impenetrable  darkness, 
Mercy  rejoiced  when  tlie  glorious  light  of  Revelation  was 
handed  down  as  a  lamp  to  guide  his  wandering  steps.  And 
yet,  lamentable  to  tell,  millions  of  our  fellow-men  are  still 
without  that  heavenly  boon.  Would  not  Mercy's  face  be 
lighted  up  with  a  still  more  pleasing  smile,  could  that  great 
gift  of  God  be  made,  through  our  instrumentality,  a  common 
blessing  to  every  individual  of  the  human  family  ?  And  might 
not  we,  as  the  instruments,  be  allowed  to  receive  into  our  own 


hearts  a  portion  of  the  light  of  that  gracious  smile  ?  But 
should  we  be  so  lost  to  every  feeling  of  humanity  as  to  neglect 
the  exertion  of  all  our  abilities  to  promote  this  object,  how  can 
we  expect  to  escape  the  frowns  of  indignant  Heaven,  justly 
due  to  our  selfishness  and  our  ingratitude  ? 

In  order  to  arrive  at  a  just  appreciation  of  the  vast  impor- 
tance of  this  subject,  let  us  turn  a  slight  glance  at  the  present 
condition  of  man.  And  first  as  regards  his  ignorance.  It  is 
computed  that  there  are  at  least  eight  hundred  millions  of  in- 
habitant^ on  the  globe.  Of  these,  Europe  and  America  con- 
tain perhaps  three  hundred  millions ;  Africa,  Asia,  and  the 
Islands  adjacent,  the  remaining  five  hundred  millions.  With- 
out particularizing  to  an  unnecessary  degree,  and  yet  preserv- 
ing sufficient  accuracy  for  our  purpose,  we  may  consider  the 
bulk  of  the  former  as  in  a  civilized  state.  The  great  body  of 
the  latter  must  be  regarded  as  uncivilized  and  occupying  va- 
rious grades  of  barbarism.  A  very  large  portion  of  them, 
however,  are  in  a  condition  the  most  abject  and  savage.  It  is 
difficult  to  conceive  the  human  mind  so  dark  and  so  destitute 
of  correct  knowledge  as  it  is  found  by  observation  to  be  among 
the  people  of  those  ciuntries.  Their  information  concerning 
the  most  common  matters  is  exceedingly  limited.  Their 
knowledge  of  the  arts  of  life  is  almost  nothing.  There  arc 
some  marks  of  inventive  genius  among  them,  it  is  true ;  but 
the  means  they  use  to  procure  subsistence,  and  supply  the 
other  wants  of  nature,  are  in  general,  far  less  adapted  to  the 
intended  end  than  those  emplo}' ed  by  the  beasts  that  roam  the 
deserts  or  lurk  in  the  jungles  around  them.  As  for  the 
comforts  of  life,  and  its  conveniences,  they  know  nothing,  for 
the  most  pai  t,  concerning  them.  A  slight  exception  to  this  re- 
mark may  perhaps  exist  in  the  case  of  the  Chinese,  who  seem  to 
have  advanced  a  step  on  the  way  to  civilization.  But  it  is  on- 
1}^  a  step.  Nothing  but  impending  famine,  on  account  of  the 
denseness  of  population,  seems  to  have  driven  them  thus  far. 
And  they  appear  no^Y  to  be  stationary.  Ages  have  elapsed 
since  they  occupied  very  nearly  their  present  position ;  and 
there  is  no  prospect  that,  without  some  external  impulse,  they 


8 


'^Tould  ever  make  any  considerable  advancements  beyond  it. 
But  degraded  as  her  condition  is,  by  far  the  larger  portion  of 
Africa  and  Asia  will  bear  no  comparison  Tvith  China.  We  may 
perhaps  be  able  to  form  a  more  correct  estimate  of  the  state  of 
knowledge  among  the  heathen  by  viewing  for  a  moment  its 
deficiency  among  ourselves.  We  doubtless  live  in  the  most 
enlightened  nation  that  exists  or  ever  has  existed  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth,  taking  all  classes  of  population  together. 
Learning  has  been  assiduously  cultivated  among  us  ever  since 
our  birth  as  an  independent  nation,  and  for  a  consiberable 
time  before  that  period,  among  our  ancestors  on  the  other  side 
of  the  water.  And  yet  what  an  astonishing  amount  of  ignor- 
ance still  remains  among  a  large  majority  of  our  population  in 
regard  to  almost  every  part  of  Human,  as  well  as  Divine, 
knowledge.  Take  for  example  the  science  of  Astronomy, — a 
science,  which  men  in  a  low  state  of  civilization  have  always 
cultivated  perhaps  to  as  great  an  extent  as  any  other  ;  because 
the  principal  objects  about  which  it  discourses  are  ever  present 
and  open  to  the  eye.  Relate  some  of  the  more  common  and 
well-known  facts  of  this  science,  such  for  instance  as  the  rev- 
olution of  the  Earth  on  its  axis,  or  of  Jjie  planets  round  the 
Sun  :  and  among  a  majority  of  individuals  are  you  compre- 
hended, or  do  you  gain  credence  ?  Do  you  not  rather  expose 
yourself  to  derision,  and  are  not  your  hearers  ready  to  exclaim, 
as  Festus  did  to  Paul,  *'Thou  art  beside  thyself;  much  learn- 
ino;  doth  make  thee  mad?"  But  leave  the  sciences,  and  como 
down  to  common  affairs.  Consider  the  slowness  with  vrhich 
improvements  are  made  and  the  vast  amount  of  labor  it  re- 
(juires  to  convince  the  masses  of  our  people  of  the  utility  of 
enterprises  which  all  observation  has  proved  to  be  well  calcu- 
lated to  promote  individual  as  well  as  national  prosperity. 
Look  at  the  great  backwardness  with  which  large  classes  of 
the  community  adopt  and  apply  useful  inventions,  and  the  ex- 
treme propensity  to  adhere  to  old  and  absurd  customs,  in  spite 
of  demonstration  that  such  a  course  is  suicidal  and  pernicious  ; 
all  which  things  proceed  from  a  deficiency  in  correct  and  lib- 
eral knowledge ;  and  you  will  be  able  to  form  some  idea  of  the 


9 


nmount  of  ignorance  tliat  still  exists  among  us.  Consider 
then  that  the  most  learned  do  not  outstrip  the  most  ignorant 
classes  in  our  own  country,  more  than  ihese  excel  even  the 
best  informed  of  the  inhabitants  of  uncivilized  nations,  and 
some  faint  notion  may  be  gained  of  the  amazing  and  pitiable 
darkness  that  broods  over  their  minds.  Recollecting  that  wo 
have  taken  as  an  illustration  the  most  enlightened  people  on 
the  globe,  and  that  the  great  masses  even  of  other  civilized 
nations  are  far  from  coming  up  to  this  standard,  while  those 
of  barbarous  countries,  which  comprise  much  the  larger  por- 
tion of  the  human  family,  fall  so  infinitely  far  below  it, 
truly  the  condition  of  man,  as  regards  knowledge,  appears 
deplorable.  And  yet  we  view  the  state  of  the  heathen  at  a 
distance,  and  the  worst  of  their  condition  does  not  appear. 
For  distance  hides  deformity  and  softens  the  rugged  aspect 
of  all  evils.  Could  we  but  draw  near  and  view  these  things 
as  they  really  exist  ;  could  we  but  see  the  depths  of  darkness 
into  which  millions  of  glorious  and, immortal  minds  are  sunk  ; 
if  there  be  the  smallest  degree  of  pity  or  of  sympathy  remain- 
ing in  our  hearts,  they  would  bleed  at  the  spectacle. 

As  ignorance  drowns  the  nobler,  and  developes  the  baser 
portions  of  human  character ;  as  it  fosters  impiety  by  remov- 
ing the  restraints  which  a  knowledge  of  God  imposes ;  as  it 
rivets  the  yoke  of  the  oppressor,  and  is  the  parent  of  wretch- 
edness ;  so  we  find  men  debased  to  the  lowest  degree,  we  find 
them  daringly  wicked,  ground  to  the  dust  by  tyranny,  and  al- 
most completely  miserable.  As  a  specimen  of  the  baseness 
and  degradation  of  heathen  nations  consider  only  one  of  their 
practices,  that  of  Cannibalism.  Kotliing  can  be  more  repug- 
nant and  disgusting  to  a  civilized  man  than  even  to  think  of 
such  a  custom  ;  so  much  so  that  we  should  be  disposed,  for  the 
credit  of  human  nature,  to  deny  its  existence  altogether,  were 
we  not  furnished  with  convincing  evidence  that,  in  some  parts 
of  the  world,  it  is  by  no  means  uncommon.  Other  things  al- 
most equally  degrading  are  universally  practiced  among  sav- 
age nations.  Common  decency  and  cleanliness  are  entirely 
disregardad.    So  debased  indeed  are  the  inhabitants  of  many 


10 


of  those  nations,  that  their  food,  habitations,  and  everything 
they  use,  seem  to  please  them  more  in  proportion  as  they  pos- 
sess less  of  those  qualifications. 

Man  is  enslaved  to  his  fellow-man.  This  is  the  case  to  a 
large  extent  at  present  even  among  civilized  nations.  Great ' 
Britain  and  the  United  States  are  the  only  nations  that  enjoy 
much  genuine  freedom.  A  few  years  ago  the  voice  of  liberty 
was  heard  calling  her  sons  to  the  rescue  all  over  America. 
The  prospects  of  our  sister  nations  on  this  continent  were 
cheering  for  a  while.  But  alas  !  now  the  friends  of  true  Free- 
dom may  weep  to  see  that  she  "  has  a  name  to  live  and  is 
dead."  The  lifeless  form  of  Republicanism  is  left,  it  is  true ; 
but  the  spirit  that  should  animate  it,  is  gone.  One  or  two 
years  only  have  elapsed  since  Europe  arose  with  a  mighty 
struggle  and  seemed  aboat  to  shake  herself  from  the  dust. 
But  despots  have  triumphed.  Sad  as  it  is  to  relate,  the  foot 
of  tyranny  is  again  upon  the  necks  of  the  people.  No  voice  is 
raised  in  behalf  of  right  and  justice  but  it  is  quickly  stifled  by 
the  hand  of  the  executioiier.  Like  some  horrid  demon,  Mon- 
archy stands  watchin::  with  irrim  satisfaction  the  Goddess  of 
Liberty  as  she  lies  bleeding  at  his  feet;  and  at  every  faint 
gasp  or  motion  he  plunges  his  accursed  dagger  afresh  into  her 
man^-led  bosom.  Thank  God  I  she  is  immortal !  And,  thouixh 
down-trodden  now,  she  shall  yet  arise  and  cheer  the  weeping 
nations  with  her  smile  !  For  the  present,  however,  all  is  dark. 
Execution  succeeds  execution.  Murder  follow  murder.  And 
all  over  continental  Europe  a  period  seems  hastening  on  when 
those  words  of  the  Boman  poet,  used  in  his  description  of  the 
Iron  Age,  will  again  be  applicable  ; — 

"  Vir2:o  cEDcle  madenies 
Ultima  crrlestum  terras  Aslra;a  reliquit.'' 

^ut  however  woeful  the  slaver}^  of  civilized  L\irope  may  be, 

Hi  h  far  from  being  like  that  of  the  nations  of  xVfrica  and 

Asia..    There  is  more  struggle,  there  is  a  keener  sense  of 

wrong  and  a  deeper  spirit  of  indignation  and  resentment  a- 

niong  the  people  of  Europe.    But  though  less  felt  and  le?s 

complained  of,  African  and  Asiatic  tyranny  is  far  more  de- 


11 


grading  and  far  more  effectual  in  extinguirihing  every  noble 
iand  generous  impulse  of  the  human  heart.  Spiritual  and  civil 
despotism  grinds  them  to  the  dust.  Go  to  the  abject  minions 
of  the  Turkish  and  Persian  despots  ; — go  to  the  palace  of  the 
Ethiopian  monarch  with  its  pavements  formed  from  the  skulls 
of  his  wretched  victims;  and  learn  there  the  full  meaning  of 
the  word  Oppression, — the  more  dreadful  from  the  fact  that 
its  objects  have  ceased  to  struggle  and  resist,  and  have  long 
been  calmly  sunk  in  the  silence  of  despain 

So  great  have  been  the  misfortunes,  and  so  glaring  and 
dreadful  the  wrongs  of  Man,  that  I  would  gladly  pass  by  th^it 
portion  of  the  picture  which  exhibits  his  sins  and  his  wicked- 
ness. But  the  subject  demands  at  least  some  notice ;  for 
there  is  no  characteristic  in  Man's  condition  that  stands  out 
to  our  view  with  more  prominence  than  this.  The  words  of 
Inspiration,  spoken  ages  ago,  are  lamentably  true  still,  That 
the  wickedness  of  man  is  great."  So  defective  is  his  knowl- 
edge of  God,  and  so  great  the  perverseness  of  his  heart,  that 
the  most  daring  impiety  is  substituted  for  a  proper  worship 
and  adoration  of  his  Maker,  in  the  superstitious  hope  of  gain- 
ing His  favor  by  doing  those  things  which  He  most  of  all  hates 
and  forbids.  That  Omnipotent  Being  who  has  forbidden  mur- 
der is  worshiped  by  the  most  inhuman  and  unnatural  of  all 
murders,  that  of  the  infant  by  the  hand  of  its  m.other. 
With  the  same  view  of  pleasing  God,  thousands  are  crushed 
to  death  under  the  rolling  car  of  an  Idol,  and  many  a  living 
female  victim  offers  herself  a  sacrifice  in  the  funeral  flames  of 
her  spouse.  In  uncivilized  countries,  theft,  robbery,  injustice, 
and  cruelty  stalk  abroad  unrestrained.  The  voice  of  Human, 
and  the  thunders  of  Divine,  Law  are  equally  unheard;  But 
why  need  I  attempt  to  describe  that  which  the  eye  of  Jeho- 
vah alone  can  fully  see,  and  the  words  of  Inspiration  alone 
delineate  ?  Mercy,  as  well  as  Justice  is  infinite ;  or  "  the 
vials  of  the  wrath  of  God  "  would  ere  this  have  been  poured 
out,  and  blotted  our  race  from  existence  forever. 

From  vrhat  has  been  said,  surely  no  oiie  will  be  disposed  to 
doubt  that  Man  is  miserable.    AVretchedness  is  the  legitimate 


offspring  of  vice  and  sin.  One  sin  "brought  Death  into  the 
world,  and  all  our  woe."  Misery  is  the  necessary  effect 
of  disobedience,  and  all  unhappiness  is  traceable  to  that, 
"Where  the  cause  is  so  predominant  Ave  "would  naturally  look 
for  much  of  the  effect.  And  do  not  experience  and  observa- 
tion verify  it  ?  Turn  to  your  neighbor  and  ask  him  if  he  is 
happy.  You  need  not  ask.  The  lines  of  care  and  sorrow  are 
already  on  his  brow.  Ask  the  cheerful-faced  you^h  if  he  is 
happy.  Ask  the  fair  damsel  as  she  trips  so  lightly  along. 
These  look  happy,  and  they  will  perhaps  say  Yes  !  Eut  gnaw- 
ing discontent,  and  a  secret,  unsatisfied  longing  for  something 
yet  unpossessed,  will  answer  more  truly  in  their  hearts,  No  ! 
Go  ask  the  down-trodden  slave,  as  the  yoke  of  the  oppressor 
bows  him  to  the  earth,  if  he  is  happy.  Ask  the  proud  op- 
pressor, too,  if  there  is  peace  in  his  heart.  Inquire  of  the 
man  of  wealth,  if  his  treasures  bring  content.  Ask  of  the 
toil-worn  laborer,  as  evening  brings  him  back  weary  and  ex- 
hausted to  his  home,  and  he  sinks  down  hungry  and  forlorn, 
while  his  children  cry  around  him  for  the  bread  he  has  net  to 
give,  if  he  is  happy.  Nay,  rather,  insult  not  his  bursting 
lieart  with  such  a  question.  Go,  ask  of  the  heathen  mother, 
as  she  stands  upon  the  banks  of  the  Ganges  and  watches  with 
tearful  eye  while  the  flood  devours  her  babe,  if  she  has  ob- 
tained the  happiness  she  sought.  Go,  ask  of  the  prisoner  in 
his  cell  if  there  is  music  in  the  clanking  of  his  chains.  Ask 
of  the  weeping  exile,  as  he  mourns  for  his  native  land. 

And  sighs  for  the  friends  who  can  meet  him  no  more/' 
if  he  is  blest.  Alas  !  the  result  of  every  inquiry  will  but  con- 
vince us  more  fully  of  the  truth -of  what  the  Scottish  poet  has 
so  touchingly  sung, — Man  was  made  to  mourn."  Well 
might  we  exclaim  with  the  prophet  of  God,  "  Oh  !  that  my 
head  were  waters,  and  mine  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears  !"  that  I 
might  weep  over  the  miseries  of  Man  !  AYho  that  has  a  heart 
to  feel  can  contemplate  the  wretchedness  and  woes  of  the  hu- 
man race,  which  I  have  so  feebly  attempted  to  discribe,  with- 
out a  tear  of  commiseration  and  an  ardent  desire  to  find  if 
possible,  some  means  to  remove  or  alleviate  them  ?  Man's 


13 


condition  calls  loudly  for  remedy.  An  appeal  is  made  to  ev- 
ery noble  and  humane  sentiment  in  our  breasts  to  use  the  ut- 
most eflforts  in  our  power  to  provide  one.  Thank  God  !  there 
is  a  sovereign  remedy, — one  which  is  fully  able  to  eradicate 
all  the  diseases,  and  bind  up  all  the  wounds  of  the  human 
heart.  And  while  the  power  to  give  it  efficacy  belongs  to  God 
alone,  it  is  both  our  privilege  and  duty  to  co-operate  with 
Him  in  the  great  work  of  its  dispensation.  That  remedy  is 
the  Bible.  This,  too,  is  the  only  remedy,  and  the  one  around 
which  cluster  all  the  hopes  of  Man.  It  was  commissioned  from 
Heaven  to  guide  him  into  all  truth  and  lead  him  to  the  foun- 
tain of  life.  It  shall  ultimately  accomplish  its  object.  Through 
its  mighty  influence,  as  the  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God, 
Man  shall  yet  be  raised  from  his  low  estate  and  "  renewed  af- 
the  image  of  Him  that  created  him."  This  is  indeed  a  vast — 
a  mighty  work,  and  wonderful  must  be  the  instrument  that  is 
able  to  effect  it.  The  greatness  of  the  end  naturally  awakens 
our  interest  in  regard  to  the  means.  In  order  then  to  satisfy, 
in  some  degree,  the  interest  we  feel,  and  to  understand  more 
clearly  the  adaptation  of  the  Bible  to  the  great  object  it  pro- 
poses to  accomplish,  let  us  for  a  while  examine  its  contents, 
and  weigh,  as  well  as  we  are  able,  its  merits. 

Suppose  the  Bible  suddenly  taken  from  the  world.  Sup- 
pose we  should  look  upon  our  tables  where  it'was  accustomed 
to  lie,  and  its  place  was  vacant.  Yfould  we  not  feel  that  we 
had  lost  the  dearest  and  truest  of  all  earthly  friends  ?  "Would 
we  not  often  speak  of  its  excellencies,  then  ?  AVould  we  not 
wonder  at  the  recollection  of^its  strange,  sublime,  and  glorious 
teachings,  and  be  astonished  that  we  never  revered  nor  loved 
it  more  ?  Would  not  our  libraries  look  empty  and  the  world 
seem  almost  without  a  book  ?  But  familiarity  detracts  strange- 
ly from  our  estimate  of  all  things.  We  see  the  Bible  lying  on 
our  desks  and  tables  ;  everywhere  we  turn  it  meets  our  eyes  ; 
until  we  almost  forget  its  worth,  and  though  I  trust  we  all 
love  and  venerate  it  much,  yet  few  of  us,  I  fear,  appreciate 
its  real  value.  It  is  said  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  that  in  his  last 
hours  he  requested  his  friend  Lockhart  to  read  to  him.  Being 


14 


asked  -svliat  Look  he  would  hear  read,  he  turned  liis  djingejes 
upon  his  friend  and  replied,  with  a  look  of  earnestness  and 
lionestj  that  could  never  be  forgotten,  ^'Lockhart,  there  is 
hut  one  Book  !" 

The  Bible  is  a  wonderful  book,  whether  considered  in  refer- 
ence to  its  origin,  its  contents,  or  its  effects.  Look  at  its  ori- 
gin. It  was  not  the  production  of  one  man  nor  of  one  age, 
nor  >yas  it  even  written  in  the  same  language.  Time  was  in 
]ns  youth  when  its  earliest  portions  were  penned :  and  he 
shook  liis  hoarj  locks  over  the  ruins  of  falling  empires  ere  it 
was  finished.  At  length  the  final  touch  was  given  and  the  noble 
structure  stood  forth  complete.  Different  workmen  had  pre- 
pared the  materials  for  the  building,  without  any  concert  of 
rction.  Various  artists  and  architects  had  wrought  the  sepa- 
rate parts  without  any  comparison  with  each  other.  •  Yet 
when  all  are  brought  together  every  part  fits  without  difficulty. 
There  is  no  incongruity.  There  is  no  need  for  filling  up  in 
one  place,  nor  hewing  off  in  another.  Like  the  temple  of  God 
built  by  Solomon  ''neither  hammer  nor  axe  was  heard"  in 
its  erection.  And  yet  all  is  proportion, — all  is  perfect  har- 
*  r.iony. 

Consider  the  contents  of  the  Bible.  '  As  a  book  of  History 
it  is  incomparable  to  any  other  in  antiquity,  in  authenticity, 
and  interest.  Kbtliing  is  more  natural  to  man,  when  he  sur- 
veys himself  and  the  objects  around  him,  than  to  inquire, 
"Whence  came  I?  And  whence  did  this  vast  frame  of  the 
L^niverse  oi-iginate  ? "  But  there  is  no  subject  which  could  pos- 
sibly be  involved  in  more  hopeless  darkness,  were  not  the 
riystery  explained  and  solved  by  the  AVord  of  God.  With 
this,  however,  all  is  clear.  Vuth  the  most  remarkable  brevity, 
the  Creation,  the  Fall,  and  all  the  interesting  and  startling  in- 
cidents, connected  with  the  early  history  of  our  race,  are  dis- 
closed. So  concise  and  pointed  is  the  narration,  it  is  like  say- 
ing, "Let  there  be  light ;  and  there  is  light."  Other  histo- 
ries begin  in  fable,  and  like  lamps  glimmering  over  a  small 
spaee,  serve  but  to  render  the  surrounding  darkness  more  vis- 
ible.   Not  so  the  Bible.    Like  Balboa  standing  on  the  cliffs 


15 


of  the  Isthmus  and  gazing  for  the  first  time  on  the  mighty  Pa- 
cific expanding  its  Avide  waste  of  waters  half  round  the  globe; 
so  the  Sacred  Historian,  raised  up  on  a  lofty  stand-point, 
viewed  all  of  Time  gone  by,  and  even  gazed  out  a  short  dis- 
tance upon  the  great  sea  of  Eternity  Past,  and  proudly  in- 
scribes the  top  of  his  first  page  with  those  words,  "In  the  be- 
ginning." The  sublimity  of  this  first  sentence  is  but  a  shad- 
ow of  the  whole.  Transcendent  superiority  characterizes  eve- 
ry stroke  of  the  Divine  pencil.  Whether  the  subject  is  a  na- 
tion or  an  individual,  a  Master's  hand  is  visible.  Where  can 
a  more  complete  and  perfect  civil  history  be  found  than  is  con- 
tained in  the  Books  of  Kings  and  Chronicles  ?  Also  in  Biog- 
raphy, that  very  interesting  as  well  as  very  difficult  species  of 
history,  how  infinitely  does  the  Bible  excel  all  other  books  ! ! 
The  stories  of  Job,  of  Abraham,  of  Joseph,  of  David  and  ma- 
ny others, — how  rich  in  instruction, — how  inimitable  in  exe- 
cution !  The  incidents  of  very  long  lives  are  assorted  in  the 
happiest  manner  and  but  a  few  of  the  more  striking  are  given  ; 
and  yet  those  characters,  after  a  single  perusal,  are  engraven 
upon  the  mind,  and  we  have  the  most  accurate  ideas  not  only 
of  their  leading  traits,  but  even  of  the  nicer  peculiarities  which 
distinguished  them.  And  how  inflexible  is  the  impartiality  of 
these  accounts.  What  merely  Human  artist,  in  painting  such 
favorite  characters  as  Abraham  and  David,  would  have  disfig- 
ured the  portraits  by  any  mention  of  their  sins  ?  Or  if  they 
must  have  been  mentioned,  would  not  have  defended  or  excu- 
sed them  ?  But  the  Sacred  Pensman  not  only  depicts  the  vir- 
tures  but  also  the  vices  of  his  characters  ;  nor  does  he  attempt 
to  conceal  the  one  nor  to  tnagnify  the  other.  Here  is  the 
place  to  study  Human  Nature.  Other  histories  so  cover  their 
portraits  of  character  with  the  gloss  and  coloring  of  the  wri- 
ter's fancy  that  our  minds  are  imposed  upon.  The  Bible  a- 
lone  gives  us  faithful  likenesses.  A  child  may  learn  lessons 
of  wisdom  and  philosophy  from  them. 

The  Poetry  of  the  Bible  is  unrivalled.  The  sweetest  notes 
that  ever  echoed  from  the  lyre  of  Orpheus,  even  when  the 
animals  and  trees  gathered  round  to  listen,  were  inferior  Xq 


16 


those  -which  flowed  so  solemnly  and  majestically,  and  yet  so 
tenderly  from  the  harp  of  David.  Theocritus  and  Virgil 
have  enraptured  us  with  their  Idyls  and  Eclogues  so  natural 
and  true  to  the  manners  of  pastoral  life.  But  to  my  mind 
their  excellencies  are  tame  compared  with  the  gorgeous  richness 
of  the  Song  of  Solomon.  In  reading  it  wx  seem  transported 
to  some  magic  scene  of  spicy  groves  and  limpid  streams  where 
every  sight  is  luxuriant  beauty,  where  every  sound  is  melody, 
and  every  breath  is  love.  The  poet  Gray  has  probably  pro- 
duced as  fine  a  specimen  of  elegiac  poetry  as  can  be  found  in 
any  language  out  of  the  Bible ;  a  poem  w  hich  will  render 
him  immortal  as  long  as  the  English  language  is  read  or  re- 
membered ;  a  poem  so  remarkable  for  its  power  of  inspiration 
that  the  hero,  Wolfe,  when  he  first  read  it,  as  he  w^as  sailing 
down  the  St.  Lawrence  to  make  the  ascent  of  the  heights  of 
Abraham  and  the  attack  upon  Quebec,  is  said  to  have  re- 
marked to  his  officers  that  he  would  rather  be  the  author  of  it 
than  to  take  that  city.  And  yet  there  are  many  passages  in 
the  Bible,  and  among  others  the  dirge  of  David  upon  the 
death  of  Saul  and  Jonathan,  which,  read  in  the  grand  Origin- 
al Tongue,  would  no  doubt  far  excel  it.  But  the  book  of 
Psalms  is  the  poetic  glory  of  the  Bible.  Here  is  found  every 
species  of  poetry,  from  the*awfully  sublime  to  the  softest  and 
most  tender.  The  Psalmist,  in  his  evening  meditations,  as  he 
forgot  himself  in  contemplating  the  glories  of  Nature,  and 
watching  "the  moon  and  stars  w^hich  God  had  ordained," 
as  they  rose  above  the  vine-clad  hills  east  of  Jerusalem,  seems 
sometimes  to  have  snatched  for  his  harp  a  note  from  the  choir 
of  Heaven,  or  on  echo  from  the  "music  of  the  spheres." 
Again  he  recounts  the  wonderful  incidents  of  his  people's 
story,  and  bursts  forth  into  the  loftiest  anthems  of  praise  to 
the  God  of  Israel.  Then  Patriotism  sweeps  the  lyre,  and  we 
}iear  the  captive  sons  of  Judea  lamenting  :  "  By  the  rivers  of 
Babylon  there  we  sat  down,  yea,  we  wept  when  we  remem- 
bered Zion.  We  hanged  our  harps  upon  the  willows  in  the 
midst  thereof."  "If  I  forget  thee  oh !  Jerusalem,  let  my  right 
hand  forget  her  cunning.    If  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let  my 


17 


tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth  !"  How  sublime  and 
magnificent  also  is  that  description  of  the  appearance  of  Jeho- 
vah, so  often  quoted  as  an  instance  of  noble  compositi,on  ;  "  He 
bowed  the  heavens,  also,  and  came  down,  and  darkness  was 
under  His  feet ;  and  he  rode  upon  a  cherub  and  did  fly ;  yea, 
He  did  fly  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind.  He  made  darkness 
His  secret  place  ;  His  pavilion  round  about  Him  were  dark 
waters  and  thick  clouds  of  the  skies  !" 

As  a  Book  of  Eloquence,  the  Bible  is  far  superior  to  any 
other.  It  is  said  that  that  great  orator,  Charles  Fox,  remark- 
ed of  himself,  that  he  had  learned  more  of  true  eloquence  from 
the  Book  of  Job  than  from  all  other  books  together;  and 
whatever  attainments  he  might  have  made  in  that  noble  art  he 
attributed  them  in  a  large  degree  to  a  diligent  and  constant 
study  of  that  Book. — For  flowing  diction,  united  with  the  lof- 
tiest sublimity  and  majesty  of  thought,  rushing  upon  the  soul 
like  a  flood-tide  of  inspiration,  the  writings  of  Isaiah  are  inim- 
itable. But  I  need  not  specify.  From  lid  to  lid  of  the  Bible, 
whether  we  seek  among  the  melodies  of  David,  or  the  wise 
sayings  of  Solomon ;  whether  among  the  grand  thoughts  of 
Job,  the  gorgeous  imagery  of  Isaiah,  the  dark  mysteries  of 
Ezekiel ;  whether  we  listen  to  Paul  as  he  stands  ready  to 
be  offered,"  or  to  the  glorious  words^  of  the  Saviour  on  the 
Mount ;  if  Eloquence  be  the  simple  and  forcible  expression  of 
thought,  warmed  by  the  noble  and  impassioned  feelings  of  the 
heart,  all  is  Eloquence,  and  such  Eloquence  as  can  nowhere 
else  be  found. 

The  Bible  is  remarkable  as  a  Book  of  Law;  not  only  be- 
cause it  contains  the  best  system  of  Laws  extant,  but  because 
it  contains  the  only  foundation  upon  which  any  rational  and 
just  system  of  Law  can  be  grounded.  Law  is  based  upon  the 
relations  subsisting  between  different  beings.  For  Law  is  the 
exposition  of  right  and  duty  ;  and  these  depend  upon  relation. 
Without  a  knowledge,  then,  of  the  relations  subsisting,  and  the 
consequent  rights  and  duties,  it  would  be  impossible  to  frame 
any  rational  system  of  Law,  either  Civil  or  Moral,  for  any 
created  being.    The  Bible  is  the  only  book  that  can  give  us 


18 


a  correct  knowledge  of  God.  as  our  Creator  and  Father,  and 
of  the  relations  of  brotherhood  and  equality  that  exist  between 
all  men  as  His  creatures  and  His  children.  The  principles  of 
Divine  and  Human  Law  are  clearly  founded  in  those  relations. 
Kight  and  justice  are  dependent  upon  them.  Take  away  the 
Bible,  then,  and  you  not  only  take  away  all  jast  and  proper 
law  ;  but  the  only  light  by  which  laws  could  be  made  that  are 
suitable  to  the  condition  of  Man,  is  removed.  The  Instinct 
of  Self-preservation  and  others  of  a  kindred  nature  may,  it  is 
true,  as  they  have  done,  impel  Man,  who  is  a  social  being,  to 
form  communities  and  enact  laws  to  answer  his  purposes  in 
some  degree.  But  we  need  only  turn  to  the  great  examples 
of  Antiquity  to  be  convinced  that  Human  wisdom  is  insuffi- 
cient of  itself  to  draw  the  nicer  distinctions  between  guilt  and 
innocence,  and  properly  to  graduate  the  scale  of  turpitude  be- 
longing to  different  crimes.  The  Law  of  the  Bible,  however, 
takes  cognizance  not  only  of  the  outward  actions,  but  even 
of  the  deepest  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart.  And  how 
comprehensively  and  pointedly  are  the  great  principles  of  that 
Law  expressed !  The  substance  of  all  is  contained  in  those 
wonderful  tables  handed  down  from  Sinai,  upon  which  the 
whole  Bible  is  but  a  comment.  Lideed  to  bring  down  those 
grand  principles  to  the  greatest  brevity  and  yet  the  greatest 
plainness,  their  Omniscient  Author  has  concentrated  them  all 
in  one  single  word — Love.  Who  but  Infinite  Wisdom  could 
thus  have  digested  the  various  contents  of  the  fullest  and  most 
comprehensive  volume  in  the  world  into  one  word  w^hich  fully 
embraces  all  ? 

Nothing,  however,  is  more  wonderful  in  reference  to  the  Bi- 
ble than  the  depth  of  its  Philosophy,  Lord  Bacon,  in  his  great 
work  on  the  "Advancement  of  Learning  "  speaks  of  a  "Phi- 
losophia  Prima  " — a  universal  Philosophy,  from  which  all  the 
separate  sciences  spring  as  the  branches  of  a  tree  spring  from 
the  trunk,  and  which  binds  tliem  all  together  in  a  common 
bond  of  brotherhood.  May  not  the  Bible  be  said  to  contain 
the  principles  of  this  universal  Philosophy  ?  It  is  the  essence 
of  Truth.    Let  the  searcher  after  knowledge  go  where  he  may  j 


10 


Jet  Mm  expand  his  compreliension  to  tlie  greatest  objects  in  the 
Universe,  and  examine  into  their  laws ;  or  let  him  descend  to 
the  minutest  atom  that  lies  invisible  and  hidden  in  his  pres- 
ence, and  investigate  its  properties ;  everywhere  he  turns,  he 
will  find  the  Bible  has  been  there  before  him.    How  true  those 
words  of  the  wise  man,  "  There  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun." 
Did  Newton  discover  the  secret  chain  of  gravitation  which 
holds  the  revolving  worlds  in  their  places  ?    Had  not  Job 
long  ago  darkly  hinted  at  the  "influences  of  The  Pleiades  and 
the  bands  of  Orion  ?"    This  instance  is  but  an  illustration  of 
what  is  true  in  every  department  of  knowledge.  Wander 
over  every  field  of  investigation,  dive  into  the  lowest  depths 
of  science,  pry  into  the  hidden  world  of  the  human  heart ;  and 
everywhere  the  footsteps  of  the  sacred  Pioneer  are  seen. 
Every  advance  we  make  will  but  convince  us  more  fully  that 
the  Spirit  of  Wisdom  which  inspired  the  wondrous  pages  of  the 
Bible,  saw  with  his  penetrating  eye  every  link  of  the  great 
chain  which  binds  together  all  "  that  was,  and  is,  and  is  to 
come;"  and,  thus  at  once  knowing  all  things,  inspired  His 
Word  with  a  view  to  Truth  in  all  things.    Truly  the  Bible  is 
a  wonderful  volume.    Well  does  it  deserve  the  appellation  of 
the  Book  of  books.    It  came  from  the  hands  of  the  God  of  all 
wisdom  and  power  and  truth  ;  and  it  bears  the  impress  of  its 
author. 

After  all  that  has  been  said  of  the  Bible,  none  can  be  sur- 
prised that  it  is  a  book  of  boundless  influence  and  power  over 
the  heart  of  the  attentive  and  honest  reader.  Its  wisdom 
must  enlighten,  its  purity  must  sanctify,  its  lofty  and  sublime 
teachings  must  exalt  and  ennoble  the  mind  of  Man.  It  is 
exactly  fitted  to  counteract  the  baseness  of  Human  Nature. 
The  foundation  of  all  improvement  in  the  principles  and  prac- 
tice of  men  lies  in  self-respect.  Implant  this,  and  you  have 
regenerated  the  man.  Take  this  away,  and  when  temptation 
comes  he  will  be  as  the  brute.  Nothing  certainly  is  so  well 
calculated  to  inspire  this  sentiment  in  the  heart  as  the  great 
doctrines  of  the  Bible.  What  can  be  more  apt  to  raise,  in  a 
proper  manner,  Man's  opinion  of  himself  than  to  teach  him  h^ 


20 


is  immortal  ?  For  this  glorious  doctrine  of  Man's  Immortality 
vi-e  are  indebted  to  the  Bible.  There  is  indeed  a  spirit  in 
Man  that  longs  for  it,  and  fond  hope  might  even  lead  him  to 
conjecture  it.  The  ancients  had  some  dim  ideas  concerning 
it,  and  so  have  the  heathen  of  the  present  day.  But  without 
the  Bible,  nothing  more  than  an  obscure  notion  can  be  arrived 
at.  And  the  real  belief  of  all,  destitute  of  the  Bible's  author- 
ity, is,  at  heart,  as  some  one  has  expressed  it ;  "  Death  is 
nothing,  and  nothing  is  after  death."  But  the  Bible  reveals 
the  truth,  and  how  salutary  is  the  influence  of  that  truth  upon 
the  heart !  How  cheering  and  ennobiing  to  the  soul  I  Some 
quiet  Sabbath  eve  when,  above  all  other  times  on  earth, 

''There  is  a  pleasure  in  the  pathless  woods," 
who  has  not  stolen  away,  with  no  companion  but  his  Bible,  to 
the  still  grove,  and  there,  seated  on  some  fallen  trunk  or  re- 
clining at  the  foot  of  some  aged  oak,  spread  the  sacred  volume 
before  him  and  pored  over  its  glorious  lessons,  until  be  seem- 
ed almost  transported  to  a  happier  clime  ?  And  then  while 
twilight  was  casting  her  dewy  mantle  over  the  landscape,  as 
he  laid  aside  the  Holy  Book  and  conversed  with  nature  around 
him  and  with  his  own  heart ;  as  he  gazed  far  into  the  blue 
depths  of  the  evening  sky,  while  its  gems  were  gathering 
thicker  every  nioment ;  and  finally  as  night's  sable  curtain 
overspread  all,  and  upon  the  hushed  and  silent  air,  it  seemed 
as  if  spirits  from  other  worlds  were  hovering  ;  who  has  not 
then  felt  the  inward  struggles  of  his  soul,  knocking  at  its 
prison-bars  and  exulting  in  its  Immortality  ?  Who  has  not 
then  gloried  in  the  name  of  Man  ?  Who  has  not  then  breath- 
ed a  he;\rt-felt  expression  of  gratitude  to  God  for  the  glorious 
gift  of  his  being  ?  And  if  perchance,  in  that  consecrated  hour, 
a  thought  unworthy  has  intruded  into  his  mind,  how  has  he 
scorned  it  and  turned  from  it  to  contemplate,  with  rapture 
and  delight,  the  pure,  the  holy  and  the  good  ! 

And  how  well  are  the  sublime  doctrines  of  the  Bible  suited 
to  strengthen  and  encourage  the  heart  in  its  aspirations  after 
purity  and  goodness,  and  in  its  efforts  to  pursue  a  course  of 
rectitude  amid  the  conflicts  of  this  world.    To  Weakness,  they 


I 


21 


give  power.  To  Fearfulness,  they  give  courage.  To  Fickle- 
ness, they  give  stability.  To  Affliction,  they  give  fortitude. 
Let  the  hand  of  Misfortune  be  upon  us,  and  the  clouds  of  Ad- 
versity gloom  our  heavens.  Difficulties  lie  in  the  way,  dis- 
couragements assail  us,  perhaps  friends  desert  and  loved  ones 
deceive  us.  The  world  is  dark,  and  not  a  ray  of  light  pierces 
the  darkness  to  guide  us  along  our  pathway.  Inspired  by 
the  consoling  promises  of  the  Sacred  Word,  who,  at  such  a 
time,  has  not  felt  the  infant  godstirring  in  his  heart,  and  sur- 
veyed the  v/aste  around  him  with  a  smile  of  conscious  great- 
ness and  a  lofty  sense  of  superiority  ?  Oh  !  the  concentrated 
joy  of  such  an  hour  ! — And  whence  does  it  come  ?  From  the 
Book  of  books.  Take  it  from  us,  and  we  are  shorn  of  our 
strength.  When  sorrow  comes  we  faint.  Assailed  by  tempt- 
ation, we  are  disheartened.  The  spirit  that  made  us  omnipo- 
tent is  gone ;  and,  without  an  effort,  we  forsake  the  field  and 
give  up  the  conflict. 

Whatever  is  beneficial  to  every  individual  must  also  be  bene- 
ficial to  Society  as  a  whole  ;  for  the  liealth  of  the  body  is  in- 
sured by  the  health  of  all  the  members.  The  Bible  not  only 
brings  its  blessings  to  Man  as  an  individual,  but  as  a  compo- 
nent part  of  the  Social  Union,  that  must  exist  wherever  Man 
exists.  It  comes  to  those  vv^ho  rule,  with  precepts  of  wisdom 
and  moderation,  and  teaches  them  that  povrer  is  not  given 
them  for  self-aggrandizement,  but  for  the  welfare  of  all.  It 
comes  to  those  who  serve  and  takes  away  the  humiliation  of 
their  position  by  teaching  them  that  rulers  are  the  vice-gerents 
of  God,  and  clothed  with  His  and  not  their  own  authority.  It 
comes  to  every  class  with  lessons  of  peculiar  duty  and  pre- 
cepts of  sobriety  and  virtue  ;  and  these  are  the  great  pillars 
upon  which  the  safety  and  happiness  of  Human  Society  are 
sustained. 

But  for  no  portion  of  our  race  does  the  Bible  do  more  than 
for  Woman.  Look  at  her  condition  in  heathen  lands,  down- 
trodden and  degraded,  and  compare  it  with  the  station  of  pow- 
er and  influence  she  occupies  in  civilized  and  christian  nations. 
Iler  weakness  invites  oppression  where  Man  is  not  actuated  by 


22 


liigh  and  holy  principles.  Implant  proper  sentiments  in  his 
heart,  and  her  very  dependence  upon  him  gives  him  courage 
in  her  defence  and  nerves  his  arm  with  ten-fold  vigor  when  bat- 
tling in  her  cause.  The  Bible  inspires  these  sentiments.  It 
teaches  Man,  as  some  one  has  eleganntly  said,  that  the  por- 
tion of  his  body  from  which  she  was  first  formed  was  not  ta- 
ken from  his  feet,  that  he  might  trample  upon  her  ;  nor  from 
his  head,  that  she  might  rule  over  him,;  but  from  his  side, 
that  she  might  be  his  equal ;  from  under  his  arm,  that  he 
might  shield  and  protect  her ;  and  from  near  his  heart,  that 
he  might  cherish  and  love  her."  Wherever  the  Bible  has 
gone,  there  and  there  only,  Woman  occupies  a  worthy  sphere 
and  receives  the  respect  and  honor  due  to  her  virtues  and  her 
sex.  Gentle  maiden  !  the  admired  of  every  circle, — the  be- 
loved of  all  that  know  thee; — thou  whose  cheek  shames  the 
rose  and  before  the  whiteness  of  whose  brow  the  lily  blushes ; 
— thou  jewel  of  thy  father's  crown  and  pride  of  a  fond  mother's 
heart ; — revere  the  Bible  I  Press  it  to  thy  bosom,  and  thank 
Heaven  for  such  an  i^lvocate  to  plead  thy  cause,  and  such  a 
deliverer  to  break  the  chain  of  thy  slavery. 

National  liberty  and  prosperity,  also,  follow  in  the  train  of 
the  Bible.  If  other  ages  might  have  doubted  this,  the  blind- 
est unbeliever  must  be  convinced  at  the  present  day.  There 
is  a  living  example  of  it  which  stands  up  with  prominence  be- 
fore our  eyes. .  Behold  the  might,  the  progress,  and  the  glo- 
ry of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race.  I  need  but  mention  it.  Look 
to  the  east,  and  the  broad  banner  of  glorious  Old  England,  at 
the  mention  of  whose  name  our  hearts  leap  with  pride,  to 
think  she  is  our  mother-land,  is  mounted  high  aloft  and  over- 
shadows all  the  rest.  Turn  to  our  own  continent,  and  the 
sceptre  of  power  and  of  greatness  is  in  the  hands  of  her  de- 
scendant, the  Republic  of  the  world.  What  is  the  cause  of 
this  wonderful  superiority  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  nations  ?  The 
question  has  but  one  answer.  It  is  the  Bible.  Here  almost 
alone  the  Word  of  God  is  reverenced.  Here  alone  it  exerci- 
ses a  very  general  influence.  Here  almost  alone  has  pure  and 
genuine  Christianity  shed  her  glory  and  her  blessings  in  mod- 


23 


trn  times.  Under  her  genial  nurture,  civil  and  ecclesiastical 
freedom  are  brought  to  a  high  degree  of  perfection.  Learn- 
inor  advances.    The  Arts  flourish.    Wealth  increases.  Com- 

o 

nierce  widens,  and  with  it,  power  and  dominion ;  until  the 
World  almost  promises  to  become  civilized  and  christianized 
by  becoming  Anglo-Saxon. 

While,  as  patriots,  we  rejoice  in  this  singular  prosperity  of 
our  own  people,  as  philanthropists  and  lovers  of  mankind,  we 
should  labor  to  extend  the  blessings  we  enjoy  to  the  whole 
human  race,  and  even  to  augment  them  among  ourselves.  The 
Bible  is  very  far  from  exercising  its  full  influence  among  us. 
There  is  an  astonishingly  large  portion  of  our  population  still 
destitute  of  the  Word  of  God.  Here  then  in  our  very  midst 
is  a  field  open  for  efforts  of  benevolence  through  the  means  of 
the  Bible  Society.  But  the  amount  of  this  destitution  in  our 
own  country,  which  is  perhaps  the  best  supplied  of  any,  of 
course  affords  no  specimen  of  how  much  the  Bible  wanting  in 
other  countries  usually  termed  enlightened,  much  less  in  heathen 
lands.  W^e  can  arrive,  however,  at  a  ^^lerably  correct  idea  of 
Bible  destitution  by  the  consideration  of  one  or  two  short  and 
simple  facts.  It  is  computed  that  at  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century  there  were  not  more  than  four  million  copies 
of  the  Word  of  God  in  existence  throughout  the  world,  whicli 
would  furnish  one  copy  to  about  every  two  hundred  person?. 
Principally  through  the  agency  of  Bible  Societies,  in  this 
I  country  and  Great  Britain,  there  have  been  issued,  since  that 
time,  upwards  of  seventy  million  copies  in  nearl}^  two  hundred 
languages  and  dialects.  Allowing  all  these  to  have  been 
equally  distributed  there  would  be  one  Bible  in  the  possession 
of  every  dozen  persons  on  the  globe.  But  of  course  they  are 
not  nor  could  have  been  equally  distributed.  Very  many 
copies,  also,  must  have  been  worn  out  and  destroyed.  Prob- 
ably not  many  more  than  half  of  them  are  now  in  existence, 
and  these  are  mostly  confined  to  two  or  three  countries.  The 
opening,  then,  for  the  exertion  of  Christian  Philanthropy  in 
this  direction  is  still  almost  boundless.  The  world  calls  for 
our  aid. 


24 


In  attending  to  this  call,  whicli  comes  to  us  resounding  from 
%.  the  frozen  regions  of  the  Pole  to  the  sunny  tracts  of  the  Equa- 
tor, besides  our  sympathy  for  the  condition,  and  our  anxiety 
for  the  amelioration  of  mankind  in  heathen  countries,  there 
are  other  powerful  motives  which  may  well  lead  us  to  activity. 
AYe  live  in  turbulent  times.  There  is  indeed  at  present  no 
very  startling  outbreak  in  any  part  of  the  world.  It  requires 
but  half  an  eye,  however,  to  see  that  almost  everywhere  Hu- 
man Society  is  a  smouldering  volcano.  Elements  are  at  work 
and  fires  are  secretly  augmenting,  that  shall  ere  long  shake 
the  nations  as  with  an  earthquake.  Among  other  agencies 
that  aye  operating  with  activity,  a  very  conspicuous  one  is 
Popery.  And  all  her  efforts  seem  to  be  used  in  the  promotion 
of  evil.  Superstition,  persecution,  cruelty  are  in  her  train. 
Under  a  mask  she  is  working  all  manner  of  wickedness  and 
heaping  up  a  mountain  of  iniquity  which  already  reaches  well- 
nigh  to  heaven.  She  is  the  foe  of  all  true  Religion,  and,  like 
«  some  insidious  serpent,  seems  to  be  stealthily  entwining  her 
deadly  coils  around  tli#  heart  of  vital  Christianity  everywhere, 
as  if  designing  at  length  to  crush  it  at  once  by  one  mighty  con- 
traction. The  Bible  has  no  more  mortal  enemy,  not  even  in 
Infidelity  itself.  Strange  as  this  might  seem,  at  the  first  view, 
the  strangeness  will  disappear  upon  a  slight  examination  of 
the  principles  on  which  she  acts.  Tyranny  of  every  kind 
iiourishes  best  in  the  dark.  The  light  of  liberal  knowledge 
soon  withers  and  destroys  it.  There  can  be  no  more  com- 
plete nor  heartless  tyranny  than  that  of  Popery,  at  least  in 
principle.  If  her  practice  falls  short  in  any  degree,  it  is  be- 
cause she  lacks  power.  Once  she  exulted  in  a  lord-ship  over 
the  civil  as  well  as  spiritual  affairs  of  men.  Driven  almost 
entirely  from  the  former  position  and  weakened  somewhat  iu 
the  latter,  she  still  clings  with  a  tenacious  grasp  to  all  that  is 
left  her.  She  struggles  too  with  wonderful  energy  and  with  some 
success  to  regain  what  she  has  lost  both  in  ecclesiastical  and 
political  influence.  The  Bible  is  no  friend  either  of  temporal 
or  spiritual  oppression.  It  fills  the  soul  with  a  disdain  of  hu- 
man despotism  by  teaching  every  man  that  he  is  a  god.  It 


25 


shows  the  humble  inquirer  after  the  road  to  future  bliss,  that 
there  is  a  more  direct  and  sure  path  to  Heaven  than  through 
the  mediation  of  any  one  like  himself.  It  bids  him  come  him- 
■  self  directly  to  the  well  of  salvation  and  "  take  of  the  waters 
of  life  freely."  Hence  the  priest  trembles  at  the  general  dif- 
fusion of  the  Word  of  God.  Like  the  silversmith  of  Ephesus 
he  fears  there  is  "  danger  that  his  oraft  will  be  set  at  nought." 
No  wonder  then  that  the  most  brilliant  bonfires  at  Rome  are 
those  in  which  the  Bible  is  committed  to  the  flames.  But  a. 
short  time  since  a  vessel  from  this  country,  at  anchor  in  a 
Catholic  port,  was  searched  and  every  copy  of  the  Sacred 
Volume  found  on  board  was  taken  and  destroyed.  For  the 
simple  crime  of  reading  the  Bible  for  themselves  some  persons 
have,  until  very  recently,  been  imprisoned  in  the  dungeons  of 
the  Tuscan  monarch  who  is  the  tool  of  the  Pope  in'  this  mat- 
ter ;  and  on  being  released  lately  the  mind  of  one  of  them 
was  found  to  be  irrecoverably  impaired  by  the  intensity  of  his 
sufferings  under  the  cruel  treatment  he  received  during  con- 
finement. A  few  years  ago  the  Sai^lwich  Islands  were  al- 
most completely  christianized,  and  a  lovelier  or  happier  coun- 
try existed  not  on  earth.  A  French  force  attempted  to  land 
there  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  friendly  station,  as  they 
pretended,  but  really  with  a  view  to  facilitate  the  introduc- 
tion of  Catholic  priests,  and  to  carry  out  the  almost  ec|ually 
pernicious  design  of  selling  ardent  spirits  to  the  natives.  Be- 
ing prohibited  from  doing  so,  they  sought  a  quarrel  with  the 
Islanders,  finally  efiected  a  landing,  drove  the  queen  from  her 
throne,  and  expelled  the  missionaries.  This  was  done  through 
the  machinations  of  Popery.  These  instances  I  have  men- 
tioned are  but  faint  specimens  of  her  dark  deeds.  When  the 
history  of  them  all  shall  be  fully  written  out  and  exposed  to 
the  gaze  of  angels  and  of  men,  the  annals  of  time  will  afford 
no  rival  to  their  blackness.  Does  it  not  become  Protestant- 
ism to  meet  these  iniquitous  eflforts,  on  the  part  of  Popery,  to 
obtain  influence  and  supremacy,  with  a  bold  and  united  front  ? 
And  the  w^eapon  with  which  we  must  contend  is  the  Word  of 
God,    This  is  the  "  Sword  of  the  Spirit  "  which  shall  smite 


2G 

our  foes.  This  Is  the  bulwark  of  Protestant  Christianity; 
and  Protestant  Christianity  is  the  hope  of  Man.  Let  Poperj 
gain  the  complete  ascendency,  and  experience  proves  that  she 
Trill  not  stop  at  any  cruelty  nor  hesitate  any  outrage  to  crush 
her  opposers.  There  are  now  upon  her  records  the  decrees 
of  councils,  held  a  century  or  two  ago,  devoting  to  the  flames 
every  one  who  dares  to  read  the  Word  of  God  for  himself. 
The  sentiments  of  mankind  have  made  these  enactments  a 
dead  letter.  But  only  give  Catholicism  again  control  of  the 
sentiments  and  dominion  over  the  minds  of  men,  as  she  once 
possessed  it,  and  all  the  horrors  of  persecution  will  be  revived, 
the  Inquisition  will  again  flourisH,  and  the  true  Christian, 
who  will  not  "  worship  the  beast  and  his  image,"  will  be  driven 
as  of  yore  to  seek  a  home  "  in  the  dens  and  caves  of  the 
earth." 

As  Americans  we  are  doubly  called  upon  to  be  zealous  in 
this  cause.  If  there  be  any  country,  upon  which  Popery  has 
cast  an  evil  eye,  it  is  doubtless  our  own.  Ours  is  the  land 
where  Human  Freedo»,  expelled  from  almost  every  other 
spot  on  earth,  has  found  a  resting  place  for  her  weary  foot. 
Her  blessings  have  rendered  us  glorious  and  her  smiles  have 
made  us  happy.  Here  we  have  reared  up  a  vast  tower  of  Lib- 
erty for  all  the  nations  "  to  see  to  ;"  and  upon  the  vertex  of 
that  tower  we  have  planted  the  "  stars  and  stripes  "  as  a 
beacon  light  to  cheer  the  hearts  of  sea-tossed  mariners  in 
search  of  freedom,  and  to  guide  them  into  port.  The  bosoms 
of  tyrants  burn  with  hatred  against  us  ;  and  Popery,  their 
truest  friend  and  firmest  ally,  is  secretly  plotting  our  destruc- 
tion. Deep,  dark,  and  insidious,  the  mine  is  being  pre- 
pared and  the  train  laid  that  is  expected  to  rend  us  in  pieces 
by  its  explosion.  God  grant  that  its  fury  may  burst  upon  its 
wicked  projectors  and  smite  them  into  ruin  in  a  moment.  And 
such  we  trust  will  be  the  case.  The  hand  of  God  has  clearly 
been  for  us.  His  Sacred  Word  is  still  with  us,  our  safe-guard 
and  the  palladium  of  our  liberties.  The  oppressed  of  all  na- 
tions have  already  ^'  risen  up  and  called  us  blessed."  May 
we  not  hope  that  when  the  efforts  of  Popery  to  work  our  over- 


•21 


throw  shall  become  more  fully  know,  all  mankind  will  see  her 
cloven  foot,  and  with  a  mighty  voice,  united  with  the  thunders 
of  Jehovah  Himself,  pronounce  upon  her  a  curse  that  will 
wither  and  blast  her  forever  ? 

Like  aU  benevolent  actions,  there  is  a  strong  inducement  to 
labor  in  the  Bible  cause  on  account  of  the  beneficial  eifects 
produced  upon  those  engaged  in  it.  These  effects  are  many, 
and  I  have  not  time  now  to  enlarge  upon  them.  I  may  but 
mention  one, — that  liberality  of  sentiment  and  sympathy  of 
feeling  generated  among  the  various  orthodox  denominations 
of  Christians  by  thsir  united  efforts  is  this  cause.  The  heart 
of  the  great-souled  man  sickens  and  bleeds  to  see  how  much 
the  progress  of  true  Religion  has  been  retarded  by  narrow- 
minded  Bigotry.  Divided  by  prejudice  and  tied  to  sets  of 
forms  and  expression  of  their  own,  the  different  sects  of  Chris- 
tians have  regarded  each  other  as  enemies  rather  than  as 
brothers;  and  the  talent  and  intellect,  which  should  have 
struggled  gloriously  in  evangelising  the  world,  has  been  wasted 
and  worse  than  wasted  in  petty  contests  about  trifles  and  things 
of  only  secondary  importance.  But  the  cause  of  the  Bible  is 
common  ground  on  which  all  Protestants  may  stand.  The 
Bible  is  a  watch-word  to  which  thej  may  all  respond.  Here 
they  may  lay  aside  their  little  heart-burnings,  and,  with  a 
feeling  of  enlarged  charity,  embrace  each  other  as  fellow-sol- 
diers contending  in  a  common  cause  and  against  a  common 
enemy.  Here  they  may  learn  to  love  one  another,  and  to  feel 
^'how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity," 

There  is  encouragement  also  to  labor  in  this  cause  from  a 
view  of  what  has  already  been  accomplished,  and  the  assu- 
rance of  final  success.  When  the  first  efforts  were  made  to 
circulate  the  Scriptures  among  the  Heathen,  many  of  their 
languages  had  to  be  reduced  to  grammatical  order.  Nearly 
one  hundred  and  fifty  have  been  thus  reduced,  and  the  Bible 
is  now  printed  in  them.  Instead  of  four  millions  which  ex- 
isted half  a  century  ago,  there  are  now  forty  or  fifty  millions 
of  Bibles  in  the  world.  The  Missionary  has  taken  the  Holy 
Book  in  his  hand  and  gone  forth  for  the  healing  of  the  na- 


£8 


tions.  But  a  comparatively  short  time  has  elapsed  since  the 
first  vessel  of  missionaries  left  our  shores.  Nations,  almost, 
have  been  regenerated,  and  deserts  made  "to  rejoice  and 
blossom  as  the  rose."  And  still  the  prospect  brightens. 
There  are  difficulties  and  opposing  inflaences  to  combat.  But, 
in  the  words  of  the  dying  Wesley,  "  the  best  of  all  is  God  is 
with  us."  The  time  shall  come,  through  the  wise  Avorkings 
of  His  providence,  (aye,  has  it  not  already  come?)  when  the 
ears  of  all  nations  shall  be  open  to  the  tidings  of  Christianity, 
and  'Hhe  Isles  shall  wait  for  His  law."  And  that  better 
time  we  trust  will  come  ere  long,  when  the  World  shall  not 
only  hear  but  obey  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God ; 

when  the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with  the  kid,"  "and  the 
lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox."  "Nation  shall  no  more 
rise  up  against  nation,"  "  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any 
more."  "  But  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  as  the  w^aters  cover  the  sea," 

Who,  then,  will  not  aid  in  hastening  on  this  glorious  period  ? 
Who  will  not  lend  the  hand  of  assistance  to  this  noble  cause  ? 
Young  man  !  instead  of  wasting  your  means  in  extravagance 
4.ind  dissipation,  cast  it  into  the  treasury  of  God.  Lovely 
maiden  !  so  mere  a  trifle  as  the  ring  upon  your  finget  might 
save  a  Human  soul.  Without  that  link  perhaps  the  chain  will 
be  incomplete  which  might  otherwise  have  raised  some  heart 
now  sunk  in  sin  and  shame,  and  bound  it  forever  to  the  throne 
of  God  in  Heaven.  Christian  mother  !  as  you  press  your  ten- 
der babe  to  your  bosom,  and  rejoice  in  the  possession  of  such 
a  treasure,  remember  that  v/ithout  the  Word  of  God  you  might 
have  sacrificed  it  in  the  vain  hope  of  thereby  winning  the 
approbation  of  your  Maker.  And  will  not  you  cast  in  your 
mite  that  others  like  you  may  be  spared  the  pain  and  guilt  of 
such  an  action?  Aged  man  !  your  head  white  with  the  snows 
of  many  winters,  and  your  form  bowed  by  the  weight  of  years  ! 
as  you  assemble  your  children  and  grand-children,  night  and 
morning,  around  the  ancestral  hearth,  and  spread  before  you 
the  well-worn  pages  of  the  dear  old  Family  Bible,  and  read 
its  glorious  promises,  and  exult  as  its  blessed  light  unfolds  to 


29 


your  dimmed  eye  visions  of  Heaven  and  of  Glory  that  lie  jus  J 
before  you,  remember  that  many  an  aged  man  like  you,  mth 
hoary  locks  and  trembling  hands,  is  now  tottering  on  the 
verge  of  the  grave,  and  he  has  never  seen  that  Book  of  Con- 
solation. Perhaps  his  childrcr^  untaught  in  its  principles  of 
duty  and  obedience,  have  wrung  his  heart  with  anguish  by 
their  cruelty.  Life  to  him  has  been  one  long  day  of  sorrow. 
Now  he  is  about  to  die  and  aJl  is  dark  before  him.  No  ray 
of  hope  gilds  the  sunset  of  his  days.  Will  you  not  hasten  and 
send  him  the  Word  of  God,  that  it  may  guide  him  safely 
through  the  valley  of  Death,  and  you  may  greet  him  soon  on 
the  shores  of  the  better  land  ? 

Come  one  I  come  all !  and  rejoice  in  the  privilege  and  the 
honor  of  aiding  the  cause  of  the  Bible.  'Tis  the  cause  of 
Humanity.  To  do  good  is  what  we  live  for.  No  finer  field 
for  benevolence  will  ever  be  oiFered.  In  this  field  work,  then, 
while  it  is  day.  The  reward  shall  come.  The  time  of  the 
harvest  hasteneth.  To  feel  that  we  have  wiped  away  the  tear 
of  sorrow  from  the  cheek  of  a  brother  man,  is  no  mean  re- 
ward. To  see  that  we  have  given  him  prosperity  and  happi- 
ness even  in  this  life,  can  thrill  the  heart  with  joy.  But  to 
know  that  we  have  pointed  him  the  path  to  endless  felicity 
and  given  him  a  lamp  to  guide  his  feet  to  the  portals  of  Hea- 
ven, would  pour  a  stream  of  pure  delight  into  the  soul  that 
angels  might  covet.  If  you  wish  this,  aid  in  the  Bible  cause. 
The  remembrance  that  you  have  done  so  will  cheer  you  along 
life's  wearisome  pathway,  it  will  comfort  you  when  bowed 
down  with  sorrow,  it  will  smooth  your  pillow  on  the  bed  of 
death,  and  add  many  a  nectared  drop  to  your  cup  of  bliss 
hereafter. 


^U.  C.     ^04    Z99M    v.l  372436 
Nos.l-lS 

N,C.--  Rell 

gloxis-FaTiphle  t  s 

"C 

CALL  NUMBER 

Vol.  ^- 

i 

Date  (for  periodical)  > 

Copy  No.  Il 

N.C.     204    Z99M    v.l  57245S 

•'OS.  1-18 


